1. Field of the Invention
An article of footwear having a shortened midsole construction is provided including a shortened heel wedge member that extends forwardly from the rear extremity of the article of footwear about three-fourths the length of the article. Lock stitching secures the heel wedge member to the annular welt member that is secured to the bottom of the footwear enclosure, and front stitching secures the front portion of the outsole to the adjacent portion of the welt member. Securing means such as a layer of adhesive secure the rear portion of the outsole member to the heel wedge member.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
As evidenced by the U.S. patents to Bianchini, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,275 and Huff U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,491, it is well known in the patented prior art to provide various types of shoe or boot constructions that include welt members for connecting the bottom outsole member to the upper member of a shoe. For example, in FIG. 19 of the Bianchini, et al., patent, a so-called xe2x80x9cGoodyear weltxe2x80x9d and internal stitching procedure are used to secure the outsole to the upper part of the shoe.
As shown by the British patent No. No. 573,452, among others, it has also been proposed to provide a heel wedge member that is attached to the upper shoe part, and an outersole that is secured by stitching to the forepart welt and the heel layer.
Present constructions involving the goodyear welt construction require that an outsole with a heel attached be combined to the upper by means of stitching the welt to a full length midsole; by stitching the welt to an outsole with an outward turned flange all around; or by glueing the outsole to the welt. The first of these methods adds significantly to the stiffness of the shoe and the weight of the shoe. The second of these constructions results in a welt/flange extension that protrudes out beyond the base of the outsole and narrows the tread of the outsole decreasing stability and leaves a flange that can get caught on things causing tripping, the last of the above mentioned constructions is significantly less durable due to glue/bond failure causing outsole separation under heavy wear conditions.
The present invention was developed to eliminate the problems of the above construction by increasing flexibility due to the elimination of the midsole in the forepart; increasing outsole tread width for better stability and eliminating trippage of the flanged extension; and increasing durability by not only glueing the outsole to the welt and heel wedge, but also stitching the heel wedge and the outsole forepart directly to the welt. This improved construction not only allows the use of a heel attached outsole, but also allows for that heel feature to be of any profile, such as straight breast, bevel breast, full wedge, etc. In all embodiments of this construction, the goodyear welt all-around construction is utilized which adds to the durability of the shoe and insures a good fitting shoe.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved article of footwear in which a wedge heel member extends forwardly from the rear extremity of the article between the upper foot enclosure and the lower outsole member a distance that is less than the length of the footwear. Preferably, the heel wedge member extends forwardly to a point adjacent the juncture between the ball and arch portions of the wearer""s foot; i.e., a distance of about three-fourths the, length of the footwear article.
According to a more specific object of the invention, the wedge heel member is fastened by lock stitching to the adjacent portion of the annular welt. The forward end of the outsole is secured by font stitching to the front portion of the welt, and the rear portion of the outsole is secured to the heel wedge member by any suitable means, such as a layer of adhesive. The adjacent ends of the front stitching and the lock stitching overlap adjacent the juncture between the ball and arch portions of the wearer""s foot.
Another object of the invention is to provide a footwear article including a heel member that extends forwardly about three-fourths the length of the article, has a thickness that is gradually reduced in the forward direction of the footwear article, and is skived at its forward end, thereby to eliminate dropoff and to assist in the stitching operation.